G. H. von Waldegg (active around 1900) Portrait of Wilhelm I, King of Prussia and first German Emperor Representative, life-size, half-length, expressively characterising, posthumous portrait of Wilhelm I (1797 - 1888) in uniform with spiked helmet against a neutral, grey background, his head turned into half-profile, the Iron Cross on his chest, the order "Pour le Mérite" on his neck. In the upper left corner the medieval coat of arms of the House of Hohenzollern as the origin of the ruling dynasty. Oil on canvas; signed a. dat. 1903-04. 100.5 cm x 81 cm. Open-worked original stippled frame, crowned by the heraldic imperial crown of the Prussian-German emperor in modified form from 1889 (made of bronze). Wilhelm I of the House of Hohenzollern reigned in the Kingdom of Prussia from 1858 (from 1861 as King), and in 1871 he was proclaimed the first German Emperor by the German princes in Versailles after the Franco-Prussian War. Provenance: Interior from the Kluvensiek manor house. Oil on canvas. Signed and dated 1903-04. Original splendid gilt frame with Imperial bronze crown.